At our Christmas party on December 15, 2017, our Eagle Honor Quilters presented veteran George Craven with a beautiful quilt made by Dianne Smith. It was a labor of love! Thank you, George, for your service to our country in both the Army and Navy. Thank you also to Dianne and our Honor Quilters for your hard work on behalf of our #3996 veterans.

Our Joint Officer Installation was both a solemn and joyful evening. Our incoming officers take their responsibilities very seriously and we trust them to do a good job for #3996, yet it was joyful because of the camaraderie we shared with one another that night.

We also honored several of our members. Barbara Brasington was named 'Grandmother of the Year' by the Auxiliary, and Lisa Ochalek was named 'Mother of the Year'. Both ladies are very deserving of their titles. Congratulations, ladies!

Our Honor Quilters also presented handmade quilts to two Aerie veterans. John Easley was presented with a quilt made by Barbara Tofil and Aerie Worthy President John Watkins was presented with one made by Aerie Vice-President Michelle Gueli. Beautiful work on the quilts, ladies! And thank you for your service to our country, gentlemen.

We finished off the evening with a delicious dinner and conversation with our Eagle friends. It was a perfect start to a new year with our new officers!

The Eagles #3996 Honor Quilters met again on Monday, August 22, 2016. This class focused on learning how to assemble the quilt to get it ready for 'stitching in the ditch'! Class instructor, Michelle Gueli, helped Nancy Godard get her quilt assembled while the rest of us watched to learn the process so we could tackle it on our own.

It is quite a process but Michelle instills confidence in all of us and makes it easy! A spray adhesive is used to hold the backing to the batting. Once the backing is secure, the quilt top is adhered to the top of the batting. Michelle advised all of us to then wait a full twenty-four hours before stitching to make sure the spray adhesive is fully dry.

Michelle also showed us how we will be stitching on a quilt label to the back of our quilts. The label will identify our group along with the person who made it, if they wish to include their name. Michelle shares all of her tips and helpful hints, from her years of experience, with all of us and we are thankful for that. We love our class meetings and enjoy the camaraderie and conversations with our friends.

Information on how to join the class and also on how to receive a quilt is on the Honor Quilters page on our website. Members who wish to join now will be in the next class, which will be starting in the fall, perfect timing for quilt making! If you are interested, contact Michelle at Michellequilts3996@gmail.com. The photos below were taken during Monday's class...enjoy!

The Eagles #3996 Honor Quilters met for class again on Tuesday, July 26, 2016. Everyone is at a different point of working on their quilt, but all are dedicated and working hard to do a super job! As instructor, Michelle Gueli, says, "It's a journey, not a race". She's not worried at all about people being at different points of completion and she handles helping everyone with great attention and dedication.

Everyone is thrilled to be learning the art of quilting. Some have experience in quilting already but for many, it's an entirely new skill. The quilts are coming together and it's exciting to see them. Enjoy the photos from the class!

The Eagles #3996 Honor Quilters met for the fourth class on Tuesday, July 12, 2016. The class instructor, Michelle Gueli, gave guidance to members of the class who had questions about their quilts. This class focused on cutting the borders for the quilts and getting the borders sewn together and pressed. The pattern for the quilts is a fence rail pattern and it has three surrounding borders.

The quilts are really starting to come together now and the excitement is building for everyone. All of the quilts are beautiful, creative and different! The evening always proves to be a fun mixture of socializing, learning, and quilt-making.

Michelle makes learning the art of quilting an easy process for everyone. Members have a fun time while creating a gift made from the heart for those in our Aerie who have either served in the past or are currently serving. Each and every quilt is made with lots of love and extra special care! Information on how to join the class and also on how to receive a quilt is on the Honor Quilters page on our website. Members who wish to join now will be in the next class, which should be starting in the fall, perfect timing for quilt making! The photos below were taken during Tuesday's class...enjoy!

The Eagles #3996 Honor Quilters met for the third time on June 14, 2016. Members of the group are learning how to make a quilt under the expert guidance of Aerie member, Michelle Gueli, an experienced quilter who is sharing her talent with any Aerie or Auxiliary member interested in learning how to quilt. The group is dedicated to creating quilts for all Van Buren Eagles military personnel who have served or are currently serving our country. If you are a Van Buren #3996 member who has served our country and would like to receive a handmade quilt made especially for you in honor of your service to our country, visit the Honor Quilters page on our website at www.foe3996.com to download an application.

It is amazing to see the progress the members have made in only three class meetings. The first meeting was spent learning how to read the pattern and cut the strips for the quilt blocks, using a rotary cutter and special cutting mats. At the second class meeting, members learned how to sew the strips together and cut them into perfectly sized quilt blocks. On Tuesday evening, during the third class, members learned how to lay out the quilt blocks to determine the pattern they liked the best. Following this, members began stitching the blocks together with careful pressing along the way.

Michelle has made learning how to make a quilt an easy process for everyone. Members are having a fun time while creating a gift made from the heart for those in our Aerie who have either served in the past or are currently serving. Each and every quilt is being made with lots of love and extra special care! Information on how to join the class is on the Honor Quilters page on the website. Members who wish to join now will be in the next class, which should be starting in the fall, perfect timing for quilt making! The photos below were taken during Tuesday's class...enjoy!

The Eagles #3996 Honor Quilters held their first class meeting on Tuesday, May 17, 2016. Michelle Gueli, who teaches the class, started the class with a raffle where everyone present won a prize! She did a fabulous job teaching everyone how to read the quilt pattern, press the fabric, and use the rotary cutter and mat to cut the quilting strips. Class members were busy ironing and cutting their fabric throughout the evening. It was a fun night visiting with everyone and getting plenty of work done at the same time. Thank you again, Michelle, for all you've done to get this group going!